Blood-Forged Ascension

Morning broke over the Xuandao Sect in pale grey light.

Mist rolled off the mountainside, filling the outer quarters like a sea of ghostly hands. Bells tolled in the distance, calling disciples to breathing exercises at Copper Hall.

Wei Lian sat cross-legged on the cracked floor of Dormitory C-19.

His eyes were open.

Calm.

Focused.

The Qi stone was gone—shattered to dust during his breakthrough.

But he didn't need it now.

Qi was inside him.

Small. Weak. But his.

He felt it with every breath, circulating in a fragile, incomplete path through his meridians—some of which barely seemed to exist. It was like pouring water through cracked pipes, losing half of it to leaks.

But even a trickle was life.

He closed his eyes again and tried the forbidden breathing method his mother's memory had given him.

It was wrong. He could tell.

Where the sect taught harmony and balance, this technique taught devouring. It demanded he seize pain, swallow it, and refine it into Qi.

He inhaled.

Thought of the bruises on his ribs. The ache in his knuckles. The burns on his feet from the Ash Steps.

Exhaled.

The Qi pulse in his core flared—just a bit brighter.

Again.

Again.

He did this until sweat soaked his robe and his breath wheezed.

Only then did he stop, shivering.

I can grow, he thought. Even if it kills me.

Knocking rattled the door.

He blinked, standing unsteadily, and opened it.

Shen Beijun stood there, arms folded, gaze sharp.

"You're late."

Wei Lian didn't answer. He tucked his frayed robe tighter and followed.

They walked in silence through the outer quarters. Other disciples paused to stare. Some laughed openly. Word had spread that the 'cripple' who passed the Ash Steps had been given latrine duty.

Shen ignored them all.

At last they stopped in front of Copper Hall.

Disciples knelt in rows on woven mats. The hall smelled of old incense and damp stone.

At the front, Elder Mu sat with eyes closed. A man with thin hair, lined face, and a voice like dry leaves.

"Take your place," Shen said quietly.

Wei Lian moved to the back corner, where the last mat was stained and half-torn.

As soon as he sat, Elder Mu's eyes snapped open.

"Silence."

The room obeyed.

"Breath is the root of all cultivation," Elder Mu intoned. "Without breath, no Qi. Without Qi, no power. Without power, no life."

His gaze swept over them, lingering on Wei Lian with cold amusement.

"Some of you come with blessings of heaven. Some with roots as fertile as barren stone. It matters little. The sect rewards effort."

Lies, Wei Lian thought, but he didn't move.

"Breathe."

They obeyed.

Qi flickered in the air like mist under moonlight. He could see it now, dim but real—threads weaving through the hall, drawn to others like old friends.

But when he tried to pull it in, it fought him. His meridians burned. His breath caught. He coughed once, blood spraying into his sleeve.

Someone snickered.

"Focus," Elder Mu said lazily. "Or leave."

Wei Lian gritted his teeth. He shut out the world. Dug in. Called on his mother's voice.

Steal it.

Devour the pain.

Make it yours.

He drew breath in deep. Let the raw burn in his ribs become fuel. Forced Qi through the gaps in his channels.

Agony flared.

But it obeyed.

Slowly, weakly, but it moved.

By the time the lesson ended, sweat dripped off his nose. His sleeves were stained with blood. But a tiny ember of Qi rested in his dantian.

It was the size of a raindrop.

But it was his.

Shen met him outside.

He looked Wei Lian over once. Said nothing.

Wei Lian waited.

At last, Shen spoke.

"First Layer?"

Wei Lian nodded, voice hoarse. "Barely."

"Took you long enough."

Wei Lian didn't smile. "It won't be enough."

"No. But it's a start."

Shen turned and walked away.

"Get some food. You look like a corpse."

Wei Lian didn't go to the kitchens immediately.

He sat on the steps of Copper Hall, ignoring the stares, ignoring the laughter.

He placed a hand over his chest.

Felt the tiny pulse of Qi inside.

He closed his eyes.

I am here.

I am real.

And one day, you'll all know it.